By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 19: The NPP has not yet decided who will receive the party ticket for the Shillong parliamentary seat, the party’s state working president Hamletson Dohling announced on Sunday.
In response to the question of whether the party leadership wants Cabinet Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh to contest the Shillong seat, Dohling stated that a number of names are surfacing as candidates for the party ticket for Shillong.
He stated that the allocation of the party ticket will require a meeting with the NPP national president, Conrad K Sangma, state party president, Prestone Tynsong, and other prominent figures.
“The party top leadership will make the final decision on the party ticket,” Dohling declared.
In response to another question, he said that he has no intention of contesting the next election.
Dohling also informed that the NPP’s state executive committee will have its first meeting on November 22 to review party preparations for the Lok Sabha elections and the elections to the two autonomous district councils (KHADC and JHADC).
He declared that the party will focus on the necessity of fortifying the organisation at the grassroots level.
It may be added here that both Conrad and Prestone had attended a meeting held at Ampareen’s residence in order to win over her close friends and family.
An NPP insider claimed that Ampareen had appealed to the party’s higher authorities seeking their nod to contest the election, and they granted her request.
It was also revealed that she has the support of most NPP leaders, including the “influential” Dhar and associates.
Previous reports said that certain NPP leaders were eager to include George B Lyngdoh, the Trinamool Congress vice president, but the idea was shelved after the party received “influential” advice from the Dhar brothers to run Dasakhiatbha Lamare for the Shillong seat.
Senior NPP leaders had stated that George backed out after the name of Lamare surfaced.
That George had a “change of mind” became apparent from his recent statements criticising the NPP-led MDA government for slip-ups.
According to party sources, the push for Lamare had unnerved the supporters of HM Shangpliang, who left the BJP and joined the NPP recently. A section of the party wanted Shangpliang to be the NPP nominee for the Shillong LS seat.
As far as the Tura Lok Sabha seat is concerned, sitting NPP MP, Agatha Sangma looks set to seek re-election in the poll scheduled next year.